MCU Commentary Rewatch : ETERNALS

I started writing this summary three weeks ago, but stopped shortly after my initial watch. Not because I don’t like the movie, but because I do. I really, really do, and I needed to be sure that I could keep that enjoyment separate from an objective rating of the commentary track, which I had in fact listened to back in 2022 when I first got the disc.

It’s definitely doable, but I need to add a cautionary note here. Because like with my earlier review of SHANG-CHI, I can now also do a full video review of the movie and the disc itself, divorced from the insights and intentions of the production crew presented in a commentary track.

Which doesn’t excuse the long delay in writing this piece, but as partial explanation I’ve also composed and edited a double handful of fairly involved YouTube videos in that time, done a ton of self-education, played a bunch of video games (also in preparation for some other videos), and continued my (now) perennial job search.

If you haven’t got your health…you haven’t got anything

Anyway, ETERNALS.

TL:DR;

Running Ranking: #8 of 27

For reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternals_(film

Eternals had a long shoot, mostly on location around the world. Principal photography ended in February 2020, but delays to other projects pushed the release date three times. It finally premiered October 18, 2021, opening wide a few weeks later on November 5. It was the third of four MCU movies released that year, and the least profitable (~$402 million against a 236 million budget, with an unknown amount spent on 3-D post-processing and marketing). It was the second Marvel film of the year with an Asian director (Chloe Zhao) and Asian writers (Patrick and Kaz Firpo), featuring a diverse cast of international actors who all spoke strongly accented English.

And like SHANG-CHI, it wasn’t released in China, nor did it see screens in many Arabic countries. For China, it was (supposedly) due to 2013 comments made by Zhao in which she said (sic) “(China is)…a place where there are lies everywhere. For the Middle East, many movies release an edited version that removes scenes of a sexual nature, but there was also extreme pushback both about the inclusion of a same sex-kiss and the depiction of the Eternals themselves as proto-gods. Rather than make three (or more) versions of the film for international release, Disney elected to make no cuts whatsoever.

The right call. And included here because the topic wasn’t addressed at all in the commentary, which absolutely contributes to its running ranking.

But more on that in a bit. The commentary track for ETERNALS features Director Chloe Zhao, and VFX supervisors Stephane Ceretti and Mårten Larsson. Zhao and Ceretti worked together on the Oscar winning NOMADLAND, and both Ceretti and Larsson have extensive credits on superhero movies (MCU and others). It was recorded a few days before the film’s October premiere.

Commentary Takeaways:

The trio’s discussion starts off with the opening crawl, where they reference the works of Jack Kirby and his incredible contributions to the superhero genre. And while they give him full credit for the look and design of the team headlining their movie, in my opinion they don’t go far enough.

For those who don’t know, Jack Kirby created the Eternals in 1976, and during his 60 year career as a comic-book artist he more or less invented everything you like about superheroes, creating or designing almost every Marvel character you’ve ever heard of (including Captain America, The Sub-Mariner, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Magneto, Thor, Doctor Doom, The Watcher, GROOT, The Avengers, the Inhumans, the Black Panther, Galactus and the Silver Surfer, and many, many more).

He was also the first artist to draw Spider-Man, but Stan Lee took exception to his style at the time, stating “I hated the way he was doing it! Not that he did it badly—it just wasn’t the character I wanted; it was too heroic.”

But he (Lee) still had Kirby do the cover of AMAZING FANTASY #15, which I believe you may have seen once or twice…

Jack Kirby (and his children) are also the reason why you now see the names of a character’s original creator(s) in the credits of every superhero movie, and will continue to do so until the end of time.

But I digress.

Once the “live” action starts, Zhao breaks down the challenges of shooting on location, and how to present characters using super-powers in natural light as opposed to the controlled setting of a studio. This is a recurring theme throughout the commentary, as the trio always mentions when a scene cuts from location to studio and back again, and any challenges presented by doing so.

There were an awful lot of them, and the VFX crew used every minute they could to shine up the film, completing additional work nearly a year after the film wrapped to make sure it left nothing on the table. About an hour and a half in, Ceretti and Larsson talk extensively regarding their nearly two-year post-production cycle. They had to make sure that every shot was projected on the biggest screens available so that things didn’t get overlooked on smaller, possibly substandard computer monitors. Given that there was (AND IS) a global pandemic going on, this was a particular challenge, but the results of their efforts shine in every frame.

And as if that wasn’t enough, in-between all this awesome, Zhao is a ray of sunshine. She’s well aware of the pressure she was under to deliver an amazing film, especially so close on the heels of AVENGERS: ENDGAME. She was already a fan of the MCU, and had been short-listed to direct BLACK WIDOW. But her pitch to Executive Producer Kevin Fiege started with “the mysteries of the universe can be found in a single grain of sand,” then went on to a multi-hour barrage of visual aids including comic book, science fiction, video game, and manga references.

It was so strong, in fact, that Marvel execs were worried that she might take on a project with another studio, so they locked her down for ETERNALS before there was a completed script, promising her complete creative control and unlimited rewrites. Once the initial draft was available, Zhao went to work, completing her pass while filming NOMADLAND in early 2019.

So despite the lamentable opening crawl, she’s super upbeat when the movie starts, and during the Marvel Studios title treatment is flipping along, Zhao delivers second-best line of the track over a needle drop of Pink Floyd’s “Time”:

“If Pink Floyd is playing, continuity doesn’t matter.”

(Note: I looked for a hilarious image to put with this quote, but couldn’t find one equal to the task. Drop me one of your favorites in the comments, and I’ll see what I can do.)

Zhao talks a lot about the challenges of coming directly from independent films like NOMADLAND to a big studio tentpole. About the novelty of directing from a gimbal crane, about directing a dog, then having to pivot to an imaginary monster. About Magic Hour, and how it shifts dramatically depending on which hemisphere and latitude you find yourself.

So many crunchy bits and I ate them all up. She really cared about this movie, and given that she was fresh off an Oscar winning run (Best Director, Best Picture), she had a lot of stuff to share. But other than the Pink Floyd line, this is the one that really stood out for me.

During Ajak’s heart-to-heart with Ikaris (one of the few unenhanced shots in the movie). Zhao drops this gem on us.

“One thing than I was most humbled by, and I think I’m so grateful to have learned was that just how much visual effects and CGI, as a tool of storytelling, can change the landscape of cinema moving forward. I think sometimes it’s a shame that isn’t taught in school. Because I did not learn anything about it. Actually, I was afraid of it. I was resistant to it, I didn’t trust it. I (was thinking) it would somehow go against the kind of story I want to tell. And I think there’s a stigma attached to it that’s very unfortunate.”

I had to stop the movie and listen to that three times to make sure I got it right. I further had to load up a digital copy with subtitles to read them for the rest of the track in case I missed anything else, and nearly watched it all over again this morning before I sat down to write.

This woman won an Oscar (two, actually) using a handheld camera in a trailer park, and because of her experience on this film now thinks that she knows nothing about making movies.

That’s a level of honesty I haven’t heard from anyone involved in the MCU in 27 movies so far, and I love her for it.

So what does that translate to in terms of commentary ranking? It’s why we’re here, after all.

MCU Running Ranking: #8 of 27

ETERNALS had a really good chance to hit the top five, but failed to dislodge either CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER or GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 1 on its trip up the ladder. It was definitely better than SHANG CHI, in large part because Zhao is a more accomplished filmmaker and a much better writer than Dan Cretton. She had some amazing insights, in particular her thoughts on CGI and digital filmmaking, and how the Marvel process really opened her eyes to the possibilities of both. And her easy way of speaking makes me want to grab some of her other movies and listen to her talk some more.

And for the current competition

PHASE 4 Ranking:

1. ETERNALS
2. SHANG CHI
3. (tbd)
4. (tbd)
5. (tbd)
6. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
7. BLACK WIDOW

Multiverse Saga (Phases 4, 5, and 6)

1. ETERNALS
2. SHANG CHI
3. (tbd)
4. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
5. BLACK WIDOW

Sadly, once again Spider-Man gets little to no love from Sony on the home video front. I’ll talk briefly about it next time out, because of its incredible influence on DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. But until then, over on YouTube you can check out my companion video piece to this blog post, and a special, behind-the-scenes video about how it all comes together!